FILED ON: 7/11/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4295

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act relative to county government financial management.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to which is to act in relation to county government financial management, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 14 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 12.  Notwithstanding any general or special law or county charter to the contrary, each county government shall submit to the division of local services the annual or supplementary budget of the county and quarterly updates on the county’s budget.

SECTION 2.  Section 4 of chapter 29A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “utilities”, in line 20, the following words:- , county courthouse retiree health benefits, not less than $1 per square foot for administrative costs,.

SECTION 3.  Said section 4 of said chapter 29A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “costs”, in line 27, the following words:-  ; provided, however, that for the purposes of this section, “maintenance costs” may include healthcare benefits for retirees of the county courthouses.

SECTION 4.  Said section 4 of said chapter 29A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 47, the word “ninety” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:-  100.

SECTION 5.  Said section 4 of said chapter 29A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “expenditures”, in line 54, the following words:-  ; provided, however, that if the quarterly payment is more than 5 days late, the judicial branch shall pay to the county a penalty equal to 5 per cent of the quarterly payment due.

SECTION 6.  Section 11 of chapter 64D of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “assessment”, in line 25, the following words:-  , which shall include the county’s required maintenance of effort for the fiscal year plus an additional 10 per cent of the combined maintenance of effort for fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2014, inclusive.

SECTION 7.  Said section 11 of said chapter 64D is hereby further amended by striking out the words “plus an additional 10 per cent of the combined maintenance of effort for fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2014, inclusive”, as appearing in section 6.

SECTION 8.  This act shall take effect as of July 1, 2014; provided, however, that section 7 shall take effect on July 1, 2024.